WHO: The risk of Nipah virus spread in India is low, and there is no need to implement travel restrictions for now

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the recent outbreak of Nipah virus in West Bengal, India, poses a low risk of external spread, and currently does not recommend implementing travel or trade restrictions in the area. Several Asian countries and regions, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, have correspondingly strengthened airport quarantine measures.

In a reply to an email from Reuters, the WHO pointed out that there is currently no evidence indicating an increased risk of human-to-human transmission, assessing the likelihood of further spread of the outbreak as low, and believes that Indian authorities have sufficient capacity to control the outbreak. However, the WHO also stated that the source of infection has not been fully clarified, and the virus has a fatality rate ranging from 40% to 75%. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or treatments, and the virus may mutate into more transmissible variants, thus it remains classified as a priority pathogen.

The Nipah virus is not a new disease in India, with sporadic cases occurring from time to time, particularly in the southern state of Kerala, which has the highest risk. Since its first outbreak in 2018, it has resulted in dozens of deaths and is considered one of the high-risk areas for Nipah virus globally